Nebraska will attempt to remain the only undefeated team in the Big Ten Conference in the sixth week of the women’s volleyball season, which will feature 14 matches played between Wednesday and Sunday.
Big Ten 2022
Nebraska play to remain undefeated
After ten consecutive victories, the Cornhuskers will play Maryland on Saturday
Published 05:44, 25 Oct 2022
Libero Lexi Rodriguez has been one of Nebraska's top players in the season
Undefeated in their first ten Conference matches, the Cornhuskers will have two other encounters this week and one of them, Saturday’s home duel with Maryland, starting at 8.30 PM ET / 12.30 AM UTC, will be broadcast live internationally on Volleyball TV.
Coming from straight-set victories against Purdue and Illinois, Nebraska, who lost a single non-conference match in the entire season, had in freshman middle blocker Bekka Allick a key player last week.
Allick, who captained the United States national team to win a bronze medal at last year’s FIVB U18 World Championship in Mexico, produced 24 points (19 kills, five blocks) across the two matches and earned her second Big Ten Freshman of the Week award.
Other individual standouts for the Cornhuskers this season are senior outside hitter Madi Kubik, the team’s leading scorer with 204 kills, junior setter Anni Evans, who has tallied 257 assists, sophomore libero Lexi Rodriguez, with 263 digs, and senior middle Kaitlyn Hord, with 98 blocks.
Their opponents Maryland entered last week with good momentum, but after losses to Penn State and Northwestern, are now ranked 11th in the Big Ten with three wins and seven losses. Junior outside hitter Sam Csire, who registered 31 kills across both matches, was a bright spot for the Terrapins last week.
The second match available internationally will be the one reuniting Northwestern and Iowa at 2.00 PM ET / 6.00 PM UTC on Sunday.
Pushed by excellent performances from senior outside hitter Temi Thomas-Ailara, who produced 37 kills in two matches to take home her second Big Ten Player of the Week award of the season, the Wildcats had big wins against Rutgers and Maryland and improved to eighth place in the Big Ten Conference, with four wins and six losses.
Iowa, on the other hand, will be looking to put their current winless streak of four matches to an end and move up from their 13th place (one win, nine losses) this weekend. In week 5, the Hawkeyes fell to Minnesota at home and Ohio State on the road.
Five other matches will also be broadcast live on Volleyball TV, but only to subscribers outside specific North and Central America locations.
Big Ten Conference matches on Volleyball TV - This week's schedule
October 26
Illinois vs. Penn State (7:00 PM ET / 11:00 PM UTC)**
Wisconsin vs. Nebraska (9:00 PM ET / 1:00 AM UTC)**
October 28
Northwestern vs. Purdue (9:00 PM ET / 1:00 AM UTC)**
October 29
Wisconsin vs. Minnesota (6:30 PM ET / 10:30 PM UTC)**
Nebraska vs. Maryland (8:30 PM ET / 12:30 AM UTC)*
Penn State vs. Ohio State (8:30 PM ET / 12:30 AM UTC)**
October 30
Northwestern vs. Iowa (2:00 PM ET / 6:00 PM UTC)*
*Matches available internationally
**Matches available outside the USA, Anguilla, Aruba, Bahamas, Bermuda, Bonaire, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Cayman Islands, Curacao, DR-Hato Mayor, DR-Higuey, DR-St. Maarten, Granada, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, Montserrat, Nevis, Puerto Rico, Saba, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Trinidad and Tobago, Tortola, Tortuga, Turks, Caicos, U.S. Virgin Islands.
